


Snap

by GleekPlusDirectioner



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: DJ Malik, DJ Payne, M/M, footballer!niall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 12:36:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3410855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GleekPlusDirectioner/pseuds/GleekPlusDirectioner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Liam, a music student at Uni taking a photography class, is desperate to find himself a model to photograph for his first project. After some persuasion from his friend and fellow DJ, Zayn, he posts a "Model Wanted" sign on the Uni noticeboard. Much to his surprise, someone answers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snap

**Author's Note:**

> So, China (who looked stunning at her prom yesterday, btw) took a screenshot of someone's tags on a post and requested I write this. So here it is :P

 

"I dunno what I'm gonna do, Zee," Liam sighed, hitching his bag up on his shoulder as he and his friend walked away from the Uni.

"Ask people?" Zayn replied as though it were obvious.

"I can't just go up to people and ask if they'll  _model_  for me, Zayn!" Liam exclaimed, eyes wide.

Shrugging, Zayn suggested, "Put up a notice on the board of the main building. People're bound to see it. Just stick your email address on it and what you want them to do."

Liam rubbed his hands down his face. "But anyone who  _would_  do it already has a friend they'll model for."

"No harm in trying," Zayn pointed out. "Besides, you might end up with some really hot guy to take photos of," he teased, lightly shoving Liam's shoulder.

"Shut up, Zayn," Liam muttered, hitching his bag up again.

"C'mon, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Uh, I won't get anyone to reply," Liam said slowly, looking at his friend like he was stupid.

"Exactly. Then you could just ask your sister or something," Zayn shrugged, pushing Liam around the corner or the street before he could walk the wrong way.

"Yeah, but… I'd rather have a male model for what I have in mind." Looking to his friend, Liam asked, "Are you  _sure_  you don't wanna do this for me?"

"Dead sure," Zayn replied blandly. "I don't like modelling."

Liam snorted. "Says he who looks like a freaking supermodel," he muttered, following Zayn into his share-house.

 

"Done?" Zayn asked him the next afternoon.

"Yeah," Liam sighed, digging his headphones out of his bag as the two of them started to set themselves up.

"C'mon,  _someone_  will answer," Zayn encouraged as he sorted through his CDs.

"Zayn, I'm a music student and part-time DJ with the social skills of a dead fish," Liam huffed. "I'm not gonna get a reply."

"Don't be such a downer." Handing Liam two of his CDs, Zayn told him, "You'll never get anywhere with that kind of attitude."

"At least this way I can't be disappointed when no one signs up," Liam retorted, putting one of their mixes in the player. "I hope this new one goes over well."

Zayn rolled his eyes at the subject change, but let it go. "Me too. We put a lot of effort into it."

"It's probably one of our better mixes." Glancing around the bar at the people half-heartedly dancing to the strange techno music the owners had chosen, Liam chuckled, "We should probably get started before this lot die of boredom."

"Alright," Zayn smirked. He took hold of the microphone on their table and turned off the manager's music. "Ladies and gents, it's time to get the music pumping! I'm DJ Malik, and my friend here is DJ Payno, and we're here to get your feet moving! So, whip out that shuffle or dougie and get ready to raise this roof!"

The crowd cheered and Liam laughed as he started up their mix. "That's the only time you'll do public speaking," he snickered.

"Can you imagine me giving speeches?" Zayn snorted, settling his headphones around his neck with only one over his ear. "Man, I'd be shaking like a fucking leaf."

"I know," Liam smirked, simply earning a smack.

 

It had been a week since Liam had posted his notice, and he was yet to receive a single reply. He sighed as he checked his emails again, expecting no change. Opening up the mail app on his phone, he sighed again.

Nothing.

Just as he was about to close the app, however, a new email appeared.

_'Photoshoot_

_To: liamjpayne93@hotmail.com_

_From: irishnh1993@gmail.com_

_Liam, saw your note thing about wanted models. I'd be happy to help. Let me know if you still need someone :)_

_Niall Horan'_

Liam just stared at his phone, mouth hanging open. "Niall Horan?" he barely whispered.

"Man, you'll catch flies," Zayn laughed as he came up beside him and sat on the bench outside the cafeteria where Liam had been waking for him.

Merely looking up at his friend, Liam couldn't even close his mouth.

"What?" Zayn asked slowly.

"Niall Horan," Liam managed.

"Blonde football player you've fancied since orientation last year," Zayn nodded, looking at Liam like he was stupid. "What about him?"

"He…" Liam just showed Zayn his phone.

Taking the mobile, Zayn read the email. "Hey, he'll model for you?" he asked with a grin. "That's great, man!"

"B-but… it's  _Niall_." Liam took his phone back, staring at the screen. " _Niall Horan_."

"I know who he is," Zayn laughed.

"But he wants to model for  _me_ ," Liam stressed, pointing unnecessarily to his phone.

"Jesus, Li, calm down." Clapping Liam's shoulder, Zayn prompted, "Let him know, then."

"What… email him back?" Liam gulped.

Zayn sighed and rolled his eyes. "Do you need me to hold your hand and do it for you?" he asked patronisingly.

"No," Liam muttered.

_'RE: Photoshoot_

_To: irishnh1993@gmail.com_

_From: liamjpayne93@hotmail.com_

_Hi Niall, thanks for getting back to me. When are you free for the shoot?_

_Liam Payne'_

"Well, I'd say that was pretty lame," Zayn commented, reading over Liam's shoulder as he sent the email.

"Shut up," Liam mumbled, tucking his phone into his pocket.

"Hey, at least you've got yourself a model, right? You've still got three weeks before your project's due."

"Yeah…" Liam chewed on his lip thoughtfully, suddenly hearing his phone ping.

_'RE: Photoshoot_

_To: liamjpayne93@hotmail.com_

_From: irishnh1993@gmail.com_

_I'm good for whenever :) Next Saturday sound good?_

_Niall'_

"What day is it?" Liam asked his friend, who was picking at his fingernails.

"Friday," Zayn replied without looking away from his nails. "Why?"

"Hang on."

_'RE: Photoshoot_

_To: irishnh1993@gmail.com_

_From: liamjpayne93@hotmail.com_

_Next Saturday's fine. Meet 11am at mine?_

_Liam'_

"Why?" Zayn asked again.

"Uh… 'cause I'm meeting Niall next Saturday. Which is a week tomorrow." Liam's eyes widened. "Holy hell, I'm meeting up with Niall Horan in a week."

"Are you gonna go on about this all night?" Zayn groaned. "We've got a new mix to work on."

_'RE: Photoshoot_

_To: liamjpayne93@hotmail.com_

_From: irishnh1993@gmail.com_

_Great :) what's your address? I've got a game at 9 that morning so I might need to borrow your shower quick before we start._

_Niall'_

Sending Niall his address and a 'no worries', Liam shoved his phone in his pocket again. "Oh  _god_ , Niall Horan is going to model for me."

 

For the next week, Liam was chewing on his fingernails or the inside of his lip, his fingers tapping impatiently against desks or chairs and foot bouncing constantly.

"Jesus, would you calm down?" Zayn sighed as he walked with Liam to the younger boy's house. "Seriously. It's a photo shoot. He's not proposing to you, or scooping your insides out with a spoon. He's just modelling for you."

"Yeah, but… but he's  _Niall_ ," Liam complained, burying his face in his hands. "He's, like, the perfect human being."

"Which makes him the perfect model," Zayn added.

"Zayn, he'd be perfect to snog, too, doesn't mean it would be easy to approach," Liam stated blandly.

Snickering, Zayn told him, "You could always just tell him you've been wanking over him for a year and a half."

"Zayn!" Liam slapped his friend upside the head, huffing and marching up to his front door.

"C'mon, Li, it's true," Zayn chuckled.

"It's not  _funny_ ," Liam snapped.

"How many times?" Zayn snickered, poking Liam in the side. "C'mon, Li, how many?"

"Fuck off," Liam muttered, shoving his front door open and stomping into the kitchen.

"Afternoon, boys," Liam's mother greeted them as Zayn entered the room after Liam.

"Hi, Karen," Zayn smiled.

"You suck," Liam told his friend, grabbing his pre-made protein shake from the fridge and huffing off up the stairs.

Raising an eyebrow at Zayn, Karen asked, "Tough day?"

"Nerves," Zayn corrected with a sigh.

"Oh, that photo shoot he's been panicking about all week."

Snorting, Zayn just nodded and followed his friend. "Y'know," he began as he shut Liam's bedroom door behind him and looked to his friend sulking on the bed, "even your mum's noticed you're shitting yourself over this shoot."

"I know," Liam mumbled, giving his drink a quick shake before popping the lid open and taking a long swig. "But what can I do? I'm the most unsociable person ever; how do I handle being around the star footballer whose personality's bigger and brighter than the freaking sun?"

Sitting on the bed, Zayn turned to Liam. "For starters, you're not unsociable. You and me DJ, Liam, you don't really have a choice in the sociableness. Secondly, one day you'll realise there's more to life than drooling over football players."

"It's not football players, Zayn, it's just  _him_. It was him before he even joined the team. It was him as soon as he accidentally bumped my shoulder as we were being shown through the recording studio on orientation day." Sighing and rubbing his face with one hand, Liam took another mouthful of his drink. "I'm like a… a speck of dust compared to him."

Shaking his head slowly, Zayn sighed knowingly, "You're really gone on this boy, huh?"

"So gone," Liam breathed out. He sat his shake on his bedside table and hung his head in his hands. "Tomorrow's gonna be awful."

"Tomorrow's gonna be  _fine_ , because you're gonna calm down and sort yourself out, yeah? You're gonna relax now and eat dinner with your mum and have a good night's sleep, and you're going to be fine when Niall gets here tomorrow." Patting Liam's shoulder, Zayn suggested, "Let's watch Batman."

Liam's shoulders slumped and he gave his friend a slight smile. "You're the best."

"I know," Zayn shrugged.

 

"Liam, wake up," his mother's voice called through his sleepy state. "Liam, it's almost ten."

"Hmm?" Liam mumbled.

"That boy Niall's going to be here in an hour."

Liam sat up quickly, eyes wide open. "Huh?"

"Niall will be here in an hour," Karen chuckled.

"Oh, sh- sugar." Liam jumped out of bed and hurried to the bathroom to shower.

Half an hour later, Liam was sorting through his clothes, trying to find just the right outfit for the day. He huffed and sighed at all of his clothes before finally settling for a plain black T-shirt and light blue skinny jeans. "It'll have to do," he muttered as he glanced at himself in his mirror briefly. "Shit," he groaned.

As Liam trudged into the kitchen, Karen looked up and asked, "You have everything ready, then?"

"Just don't," Liam mumbled, rubbing his eyes in defeat. "It's gonna suck. He'll come over and I'll be all awkward and we won't get anything done and not only will I fail my assignment, but Niall will think I'm weird and never talk to me ever again." Liam slumped against the bench. "We've barely swapped two sentences face to face."

"How is it you've fallen for him so hard, then?" Karen asked curiously.

Liam groaned and covered his face with both hands. "Because I'm a sap who has no idea how to talk to fit guys and goes all gooey inside when he smiles at me. Because he's, like, the happiest, most gorgeous human being to ever grace this earth."

"You really are a hopeless romantic, aren't you?" Karen smiled, pulling her boy into a hug. "Just like your father when we were young."

Liam simply laid his head on his mother's shoulder, closing his eyes and making a small, miserable noise in the back of his throat.

It was at that moment the doorbell rang through the house, making Liam tense in fear.

"Come on, love," Karen encouraged, gently pushing him into the hallway. "Don't leave him waiting." Smiling softly at the apprehensive look on Liam's face, she assured him, "Everything will be fine."

Gulping, Liam headed to the door, wiping his clammy hands on his jeans and blowing out a breath before turning the handle.

"Hey," greeted a blonde boy with a bright smile. He was covered in muddy smears and looked soaked, a sports bag slung over one shoulder.

"H-hi, Niall," Liam breathed out. He stepped back and let Niall into the house.

"Can I use your shower? I'm pretty filthy," Niall chuckled, gesturing to his clothes as he toed off his shoes.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Liam closed the front door and led Niall upstairs. "Here's the bathroom. I'll just get you a towel," he mumbled, quickly darting away to the linen cupboard. Blowing out a sharp breath, he muttered, "Get a grip," then grabbed a clean towel and carried it back to the bathroom. "Here."

"Thanks," Niall grinned. "Just chuck it on the floor, yeah? I don't wanna touch it…" He held up his muddy hands as explanation.

"Okay." Sitting the towel beside the shower, Liam pointed to the door. "I'll, um… leave you to it. I'll be in my room if you need me. Second on the left." With an awkward nod, Liam left the room and shut the door behind himself. "If you need me?" he hissed to himself. "He doesn't need help in the shower, you fucktard." Smacking his own forehead, Liam huffed and headed to his bedroom.

Half an hour later saw Liam jumping a little as his bedroom door was pushed open by Niall, who had his sports bag in one hand and this towel around his shoulders as he dried the water from his ears. "So, what first?" Niall asked, pointing to the plan Liam had set out on the bed in front of him.

"Oh, uh… well, I was thinking- I mean, my main idea is that a person's exterior doesn't always reflect what they're like on the inside. So, um…" Liam had to look away from Niall, who was standing quite comfortably just inside the doorway without a shirt on and sweatpants hanging from his hips loosely. "I was thinking a few shots of the kind of person people see you as, like, the footballer, partier, generally happy person, and then some that kinda show some aspects people don't necessarily know about you."

"Is that really how people see me?" Niall asked interestedly.

"Well, um… that and other things." Liam coughed nervously, chancing a glance up at Niall, who looked thoughtful.

"Hmm… interesting." Clapping his hands together, Niall stated, "Let me chuck a shirt on and I'm pretty well ready." He dug through his sports bag and pulled out a clean shirt. "Let's do this?"

Swallowing, Liam nodded. "Let's do this."

 

Liam had only been photographing Niall for two minutes before the blonde started up a conversation. "You're a music student, yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah," Liam confirmed with a nod, snapping another photo.

"Photography's just a hobby, then?"

Shrugging, Liam replied, "I like it, yeah."

"Well, what's your main hobby, then?" Niall asked, changing position when Liam gestured for him to do so.

"Um… DJ-ing I guess. Me and my mate Zayn mix our own stuff, then play them at bars and small nightclubs," Liam explained.

"You DJ?" Niall asked, eyes wide with interest. "That's so cool! You have to let me hear one of your mixes, now."

"Um… okay," Liam agreed, a slight smile on his face. "But later."

"Well, we can't very well drop everything in the middle of your project, can we?" Niall laughed.

"You could," Liam shrugged. "It's not your project."

Niall frowned a little. "I said I'd help, I'm not about to leave you hanging with no model," he half-laughed. "I'm not that cruel. I'm a student struggling through Uni, too, y'know."

"We're doing the same course," Liam commented, hiding behind his camera and taking another photo to avoid looking Niall in the eyes.

"Yeah, I know," Niall chuckled. "I'm not taking photography, though."

"Wise move," Liam sighed, checking through his recent shots. He moved to take pictures from a different angle.

"Not fun?" Niall inquired.

"No, it's fun," Liam insisted. "It's just… tough when you have to find a model."

"How come your DJ-ing mate didn't help?" Niall asked with a raised eyebrow.

Liam snorted, rolling his eyes. "Cheeky bastard reckoned it wasn't his thing. He looks like a bloody model, for heaven's sake!"

Laughing, Niall nodded, "Yeah, I know."

"How?" Liam frowned.

"Hey, I see you around the campus," Niall pointed out. "I know the bloke you're talking about. Not personally, but I can put a face to him." Tipping his head from side to side, he supposed, "He's pretty alright-looking."

"I know," Liam sighed, snapping a few more pictures.

"Hang on, do you think you're, like, the ugly best friend or something?" Niall guessed with a knowing look.

"C'mon, compared to him? Course I am," Liam half-laughed.

"Hey, don't put yourself down," Niall ordered, pointing a stern finger at Liam. "You're not so bad yourself."

Liam just rolled his eyes. "And the same to you."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, then cracked up laughing.

"Why are we arguing about this?" Niall chuckled. "You're clearly attractive."

"Oh, come on," Liam scoffed with an amused look. "When was the last time you looked in the mirror?"

"After getting out of your shower. I'm not really that much to look at," Niall shrugged.

Liam just shook his head. "Don't be stupid," he sighed, bringing his camera up and taking another picture.

 

Once the shoot was over, Liam realised he had been laughing and joking with Niall all afternoon. He had all the pictures he needed, so now there was no reason for Niall to stick around anymore.

"Hey, today was fun," Niall nodded as he hooked his sports bag over his shoulder. "If you ever need a model again, I'd be happy to help."

"Thanks," Liam smiled as he walked Niall to the door. "See you later, I guess?"

"Yeah, later." Flashing Liam a grin, Niall jogged down the front steps of Liam's house and hopped into his car before driving off.

Pushing the door shut and leaning against it, Liam sighed heavily.

"So, how did it go?" Karen asked, poking her head around the kitchen door.

"All done," Liam nodded.

Karen realised an eyebrow. "Are you okay, Liam?"

Shrugging one shoulder, Liam sighed, "I guess."

"You guess?" Walking up to her son and holding his face in both hands, she studied his eyes. "You didn't want him to go," she said knowingly.

Huffing out a breath, Liam wrapped his arms around his mother and buried his face in her neck. "No," he mumbled. "I didn't want him to go."

 

Liam had to suppress his excitement when he got an A for his project, and even more so when his teacher suggested he continue with model photography. The first thing he did upon leaving his class that day was email Niall about it.

_'RE: Photography_

_To: liamjpayne93@hotmail.com_

_From: irishnh1993@gmail.com_

_Congrats, that's great! :D you need another model anytime soon? I'd be happy to help :)'_

"I'd be happy to come make you blush and titter like a little girl," Zayn mocked Niall's voice as he read over Liam's shoulder. "I'd be happy to come suck your cock."

"Fuck off," Liam muttered shoving his friend away. "You're just jealous I've got more friends than just you."

"I'm wounded," Zayn pouted, hand to his heart.

"So you should be."

"C'mon, you love-sick puppy, we have a gig." Zayn hooked his arm through Liam's and started leading him away from the campus as the brunette tapped out a reply to Niall's email.

_'RE: Photography_

_To: irishnh1993@gmail.com_

_From: liamjpayne93@hotmail.com_

_Thanks :) My teacher says I should stick with model photography, so I'll need one sometime next week. You up for it?'_

"You up for letting me drool all over you while I picture ripping all your clothes off?" Zayn smirked, earning an elbow hard in his ribs.

Liam didn't let Zayn see the  _'You bet your arse!'_  Niall sent in response.

 

It was a few shoots later that Liam ended up on the floor of his den in stitches with Niall right beside him. After a series of small disasters, the whole shoot had gone horribly wrong, and they had both reached the point of simply giving up and laughing about it.

"Whatever, screw the shoot," Liam sighed, chuckling a few times.

"Well, we did just spend the better part of two hours fighting with cameras and lights and props," Niall laughed. "I think it's at least time for a break." He sat himself up and ran a hand through his hair. "How's a cuppa sound?"

Liam just gazed up at Niall for a moment, then shook himself. "A cuppa sounds like heaven."

"Right, I'll be back in a sec." Niall headed for the door that led to the stairs up to the rest of Liam's house.

"Hey, shouldn't I be catering for you?" Liam chuckled. "It's my house."

Shrugging one shoulder, Niall pointed out, "I'm over here often enough, I know where I'm going."

Liam considered that point while Niall was upstairs, looking up as the blonde returned with two mugs of tea. "You're over here a lot, really," he commented as he accepted his mug.

"You always seem to need more photos," Niall chuckled, taking a sip of his drink and humming contentedly at the taste.

"Yeah…" Liam reached over and grabbed his camera, snapping a quick picture of Niall staring into space with his hands wrapped around his mug. When he received a startled look, he stated, "I think I can work with this," showing the blonde the photo.

"Hey, I like that one," Niall grinned. "Can I grab it off you later? I'll use it as my profile picture."

"On what?" Liam asked.

With a shrug, Niall chuckled, "Everything."

For the next fifteen minutes, Liam took pictures of Niall in various states of relaxation on the floor, many involving his steadily emptying mug of tea.

"Well, after the disaster we started with, I think today's shoot went okay," Niall nodded satisfactorily.

"Yeah, it did," Liam smiled. He suppressed a sigh as Niall grabbed his jacket off the floor and pulled it on. "You off?"

"Yeah, got somewhere to be," Niall explained vaguely, adjusting his collar and checking for his keys and phone.

"Right." Liam stared down at his camera in his hands. "D'you want me to walk you out?" he asked hopefully.

"Nah, I'm good. See you later, Li," Niall farewelled, jogging up the stairs with a wave and disappearing from view.

Liam huffed out a long sigh, setting his camera down before burying his face in his hands. "Shit," he breathed out.

 

The next shoot was far smoother, but Liam felt antsy the whole time. He sighed when he put his camera on the den coffee table beside him. "That's that."

"Awesome," Niall grinned, just as cheerful as ever.

"Yeah." Shoving his hands in his pockets, Liam asked, "You need to go rushing off again?"

"Actually, I do, yeah," Niall told him regretfully, tugging his arms through the sleeves of his jacket. "Sorry."

"No worries," Liam shrugged, head down.

"See you later, Li," Niall farewelled, patting Liam's shoulder once before leaving the room.

Rubbing his hands down his face, Liam released a heavy sigh. "I'm so screwed," he muttered, collecting up the pens and paper that had been using as props.

"Niall gone again already?" Karen asked as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah." Piling up the paper neatly, Liam sighed, "I wish he hadn't."

Karen gave her son a sympathetic smile. "Hang in there, sweetheart."

"'M trying."

Kissing Liam's temple, Karen murmured, "I'll make dinner," and headed off up the stairs.

Liam heaved a sigh and went to pack his camera into its bag when he noticed the folded piece of paper sitting on top of it with  _'Liam xx'_  written on. He frowned slightly, picking the paper up and unfolding it.

_'Li,_

_Do you want to go on a date with me on Friday? I know that's blunt, but seriously. You, me, dinner. Let me know?_

_Niall xxx'_

Blinking in shock at both the words and the mobile number scrawled at the end, Liam felt his jaw drop. "A… date?" He slowly headed upstairs, still staring at the note as he went.

"What've you got there, Li?" Karen asked, ducking around to read over his shoulder. "A date?"

"I… I guess, yeah." Liam looked to his mother in awe.

"Well, you better start organising an outfit," Karen chuckled, ruffling his hair. "This date is tomorrow."

 

Liam had felt like his insides were eating him while he prepared himself for the date on Friday. He kept seeing Niall's text in response to his agreement on the date.

_'Awesome ! C u tmro then ;)'_

And as he answered the door to a stunningly dressed blonde, Liam felt the honest urge to throw up. He farewelled his mother and followed Niall into his car, trying to calm down the nerves chewing on his gut.

But just like he always did, Niall relaxed any tension in Liam with his easy conversation and carefree laughter. It took just minutes for the both of them to settle into the idea of being on a date, and from there they were chatting just the way they always did.

"Y'know, I thought this was gonna be awkward as hell," Liam admitted as Niall drove him home, "but it was really nice."

"Why would it be awkward?" Niall asked. "We've been flirting for weeks, Li, it's not like we had to change anything," he chuckled.

"We were?"

Niall laughed a bit. "Well, I was. I guess you didn't realise you were flirting back. But either way, you did a damn good job of luring me in."

"I… really?"

"Yeah, really." Niall parked his car outside Liam's house, pulling the handbrake on and turning to face him. "Thanks for doing this with me, Li." He reached over and grasped Liam's hand. "Really helped me settle a few things in my head.

"Yeah, me too," Liam nodded, squeezing his hand back. "Um… do you have anywhere to be?"

"No…?" Niall frowned a little on confusion. "No one'll notice if I'm back late."

Tugging lightly on Niall's hand, Liam suggested, "Come in. We can hang out more."

"Don't wanna let it go just yet?" Niall asked with a slight smile.

"Yeah… don't really want the date to end yet." Liam gestured to the house with his head.

"Yeah, alright," Niall nodded. They hopped out and Liam led Niall into the house, then up the stairs to his bedroom. "Well, that was forward."

Liam sent Niall a mocking scowl. "I'm not suggesting anything, thank you."

"Nothing?" Niall asked with a pout, sitting himself on Liam's bed. "Not even a quick snog?"

"Well, depends if you're offering," Liam half-laughed, dropping his keys and wallet on his desk.

"Do you want a more direct offer?"

Turning to look at Niall, Liam asked, "Serious?"

"Yeah," Niall laughed, standing and heading over to Liam. "Deadly serious." He brought his hands up to hold Liam's face. "Can I?"

Liam felt his heart thunk hard against his ribcage, but curled one arm around Niall's waist and rested his other hand in the nape of his neck before pulling him in and kissing him. He felt Niall sigh against his lips, bringing him in close with the arm around his waist.

It was only a short while they spent just kissing each other's lips, but when Niall's pulled back, he was already breathless. "Well, that was a lot less one-sided that I was expecting." He gave Liam a slight smile. "Was pretty great." He stole a short kiss, bumping his nose lightly against Liam's.

"Hope you're 'right to get used to it," Liam mumbled, pressing his lips against Niall's and licking along the seam of his mouth.

"Definitely."

 

When Liam stepped out of his next photography class, he felt his face split into a grin at the blonde waiting outside for him. "Afternoon, Mr Horan," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the blonde's lips.

"Same to you, Mr Payne," Niall mumbled back, pecking Liam's lips twice before pulling away and grabbing his hand. "Ready?" he asked, bouncing the football he was holding.

Showing Niall the camera around his neck, Liam nodded, "Ready."

"Great," Niall beamed, tugging on Liam's hand and prompting him to start walking. "Practice starts in ten."

And so that's what Zayn saw as he headed home that afternoon; his best friend finally walking through the halls hand in hand with the boy he'd been drooling over for more than a year. "Finally," Zayn breathed out in relief, heading home with a slight spring in his step and a smile on his face.


End file.
